Adam Scriven
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After a great +750 winning pick in the men’s Super G with Matthias Meyer, I’m back with another couple of best bets for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Let’s dive in.
2022 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey best bet: Finland (+400)
With the NHL using its intended Winter Olympic break to catch up on games lost to Covid-related postponements, Russia is the favorite to retain their hockey gold medal in Beijing.
However, the Russians made hard work of claiming gold in Pyeongchang four years ago, needing overtime to see off Germany, and they haven’t shone in recent World Championships either, so they could be worth taking on at +150 odds.
Canada and the USA have taken different approaches, with the Canadians fielding a squad mainly formed of ex-NHLers now playing in Europe, while Team USA has opted for a youth-heavy team.
Finland has enjoyed plenty of international success over the years but never won Olympic gold. The last seven Olympics have seen the Finns collect four bronze and a silver, and they have a fine chance of overdue success at +400.
Finland has reached the final of the last two World Championship tournaments, winning the title in 2019. Their experienced roster includes a fearsome top line of NHL veteran Markus Granlund, center Sakari Manninen and winger Teemu Hartikainen, who combined for 70 KHL goals for Salavat Yulaev Ufa last season.
The tournament begins with Russia vs Switzerland at 3:40 am ET.
Women’s giant slalom best bet: Mikaela Shiffrin (+135)
Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympic giant slalom title defense lasted just a handful of gates before a small mistake saw her record her first non-finish in a GS for four years.
The Vermont-based skier seemed upbeat afterwards, though, stating the artificial snow was a lot of fun to ski on and she could be a good bet at +135 to repeat her 2014 slalom gold. The first run is due to start at 9:15 pm ET.
Petra Vlhova has already wrapped up the World Cup slalom title with five wins and two second places and is the odds-on favorite. However, the Slovakian was a hugely disappointing 14th in the giant slalom where she, like a lot of the big names, failed to master the grippy artificial snow.
Germany’s Lena Duerr is enjoying her best World Cup season yet, and could be the one to benefit if the favorites fall short. The 30-year-old is +2200.
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